Hydraulic separator



April 23,1929-` HQH. CARL ETAL 4 .1,710,568

HYDRAULIC SEPARATOR Filed Nov.4 26, 1927 s sheets-sheen -3' In/wanton;

retener apr; 23, i929.

. narrensrarss PATE-Nr iorrlce.v

nanna H. cant., or rnEiroNT, Arm HENRY E. MUEHLHOF, or Po'r'rsvrLLE,

rENNsYLvANmD v HYDRAULIC SEPARATOBL l applicaties area november ce, i927. serial No. 235,950.

This invention relates to hydraulic-separat'ors, and 'particularly separators for the purpose of separating lcoal and similar 'maf terial from impurities by means of water.

Cil

The general object of the present invention*- .is to provide an apparatus of this character which is simply and economically constructed and by which coalor similar materials, particularly the smallersizes thereof, as for instance particles :trom one-half an. inch to very tine powder, may be separated' in an elicient manner at a minimum cost. i l' A further object is to provide a construction of this character in which the fine coal l or other material to be separated is dis-v charged into a separating tank having therein constantly circulating water, this water overflowing at one end and the material being submitted to the action of currents ot water in such manner as to carry upward the relatively light particles of coal, while the heavy particles of slate, rock, etc., sink to the bottom oi the tank and are discharged through suitable gates tor this purpose.

A stillv further object is to provide means whereby some of the waterin the upper portion of the tank' may be carried oli to feed the pump which pumps water into the feed pipes oit the tank so as to increase the density or" the mixture within the tank thus increasing the specific gravity of the liquid in the tank and increasing its flotative power, that is its power to 'carry upward particles'of co'al which would otherwish sink t9 the bottom of the tank.

A further object in this connection is to provide means to carry 0H the larger particlesD vof coal but return a certain portion of the `water with a deliniteand appreciable quantity ofdthe very fine coal particles to the circulating pump and back into the tank again, thereby thickening and keeping up the density of the mixture in .the tank and thus increasing the `specific gravity of the mixture in the tank so as to increase its flotation qualities and secure an increased yield 'or an increased saving of partlcles of coalV which will tend to' sink in relatively `pure wateig.

' Another obj ect in` this connection isto'provide, for the purposeof directing` a certain amount ofthe water in the tank back to the pump, a skimming pan adjustable vertically so as to receive water from the surface oft' the water in the tank to an amount depending upon the adjustment of the pan, this pan being. vertically adjustable to control the amount o'fa water and the amount'and size of the fine coal particles delivered to the pump.

Other objects will appear in the course of the Afollowing description.

@ur invention is illustrated in the accompanying` drawings, wherein Figure 1 is atop plan view of a separator constructed in accordance with our invention;

"Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure t isa section on the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Referring to these drawings, l0 designates I' aJtank which is illustrated as being made of wood but may be made ofany other suitable material, this tank having a rear wall 1l and a bottom wall 12 and the front wall 13. Disposed Within the tank is a downwardly and forwardly extending Jfront or false 'lootm toni l4`extending from the wall 11 downward v toward the lower end of the wall, 13 but terminating short thereof. Disposed exteriorlyto the tank is a circulating pump, which is designated generally 15, and may be of any suitable character, this pump vbeing driven by ha motor also of any suitable character- .and'designated 16. Them pipes may be adjusted around their axes so as to'discharge in any desired direction.

Extendin from the ypipe 17 1s a branch pipe 23 whic extends toward the tank 10 and then extends upward, as at 24, and forwardly,

as atr 25, and then transversely, as at 26,

, again downwardly, as at 27, and then again extends laterally, as at 28, this lateral branch being provided with perforations 29. The joints of this pipe are flexible so that the perforated section 28 may be raised or lowered or turned into any'desired angular position and the perforations 29, by turning the pipe 28 to the desired amount, may be either caused to discharge downwardly or upwardly, though ordinarily they discharge upwardly.

The feed, in this instance small coal mixed with dirt, slate, et-c., lis discharged into the tank by means of the feed trough 30 which has a width equal to that of the tank. Water is also discharged into this trough through the pipe 3l provided with a regulating valve 32. Immediately in advance of the lwall 11 but spaced therefrom is the downwardly extending baiiie wall 33 which extends down nearly to the series ofpipes22. Thus the material fed into the tank 10 is forced downy ward below the water level a normally kept in the tank and brought into close proximity to the series of perforated pipes 22. The pipes preferably. discharge downward against theinclined bottom 14 and this deilects the water so that upwardlyrising currents are formed and the material passing the baiiie wall 33 is immediately acted upon by these currents, the lighter material being carried directly up to the upper portion of the water in the tank and' then carried toward the outlet end, the slightly heavier material-moving downward and then being caught up by the next uprising'cup' rent of-lwater,and so on so that all the lighter particles are eventually carried up to the outlet ofthe tank. The water carrying these.

l 4lighter particles passes over theupper end of the wall 1 3 and passes into the discharge chute 34.

For the purpose of causing a certain amount i. of water from the tank l'to pass back to the circulating pump, we provide at the outlet endv of the tank a pan 35, the forward end of which is hingedly supported and the rear end of which i`s ,vertically movable by means of the link 36,-' the crank 37' and the handle '38.

This .handle 38 is held in any adjusted position by means of pins passing through the upright 39. Any other suitable means for this purpose may be used, however. The skim- 'ming pan '35 which, constitutes a chute, discharges into a somewhat hopper-shaped trough 40=disposed just belowthe pan and extending transversely from one side wall of the tank to the other. This trough at its middle' discharges into a. sump 41 andfrom this sump leadsl the suction pipe 42 of the'pump. This sump is provided with an overflow discharge, which overflow discharges into the discharge trou h 34.

The forwar wall 13 does not-extend down Vto the bottom of the tank but at the bottom of [the tank a chamber is formed, designated 43,

the rearwall ouf which is formed by a transverse wall 44 spaced from the floor 12. Inlet n collected around or in the refuse chamber also causes/,a draft of heavier particles from a distance from the chamber toward the chambei' and thus all the refuse particles will be drawn out through these valves 47 when the valves are opened. The movable pan or chute 35 acts to.keep the bigger particles out of the circulating pump 15, as this pan 35 dips into the overiiow just deep`enough `to supply the pump with the proper amount of water. Only the water fromthe top is taken olf and thus only the smaller and lighter particles of material are carried back to the circulating pump through the suction pipe 42. By doing this there is no danger of the larger material getting into the ,circulating pump but this larger material is carried directlyof through the dischargetrough 34 but at the same time the very finely divided particles of material are carried back into the circulating. pump and thereby back into the tank, there-` by keeping up the discharge of mixturein the tank. l

We have found in the actual use of this construction that when starting, and the tank is filled with relatively clearwater and finely powdered coal is discharged into the rear end of the tank, that the water does not have sufficient density'to lift thek larger of^ these fine particles and that it is only as the density 1s increased by the return of the very finely powdered coal and water skimmed from the surface of the water in the tank that the vwater has sufficient flotative power to lift -theselpa'rticles of coal which would otherwise sink to the bottom. B'y returning'theseine particles, therefore, and increasing the spe ciiic gravity of the mixture in the tank thereby, we succeed `in saving ,a large amount of ine coal of a relatively valuable size which could not otherwise be saved. When the water in the ytank is not of sufficient density to carr up-all this coal the skimming chute v3,5 is ropped slightly so as to carry oft' a greater amount of the water with the fine coal to the pump, but it is necessary that the skim'- ming chute shall not dip too deeply into-the tank as otherwise relatively large particles the standpoint o the pump operation andl because it is these larger sizes of coal -par-` 'ticles which it isl desired to save.

The pipe formed bythe members 24, 25, 26 l 27 and 28 constitutes a booster pipe locate in thefront paiit of the tank and, as before stated, this pipe is movable so that 1t may be raised lor lowered or shifted forward or rearward. This booster pipe, as described, 1s con- 5 nected to the circulating pump andthe pressure of the mixture being pumped through this booster pipeis controlled by a valve 27a. This additional. agitating pipe or booster pipe is located in the front or deep'est part of 1o the tank.A lBy properly adjusting th1s pipe and regulating the pressure ofthe mixture pumped through it, a lifting force is created inthe tank toward the overflow and, `as this force can be regulated, the conditions may b e controlled to suit any character of material to be separated.. This gives the apparatus a wide range of separating qualities as to different specific gravity'and the size of various L materials to'be cleaned. t

We have stated above-that when starting up with clear water the larger particles of coal tend to sink. This is avoided in our ap vparatus by opening the valve controlling the yflow of water from the booster pipe 28. 25 By increasing the pressure in this pipe an additional lifting force is given to the water and this carries the larger particles of coal upward and then as the density of the water in-.

creases the pressure in the pipe 28 is reduced, 30 but practice with our machinehas shown us that the booster pipe alone is not entirely successful but that it is necessary to increase the density of the watergin the tank.

The booster pipe is of further value in the operation of this separator because we have found in every separator in which there is a tank with upward and forward discharge of water, there is a dead spot as itmay be termed, caused by eddy currents wherein the 4o particles of coal simply circulate round and round and become hung. This dead spot varies with different sizes and different forms of tanks, and we have designed the booster pipe 28 so that it may be adjusted, by reason of its joints, .to anydesired positionuwithin the tank and thus to any dead spot that may arise. This prevents a circular current at this particular point, breaks it up and carries the coal, which would normally hang at this point, upward and forward over the top edge of the front Wall. We therefore regard this booster pipe as being very important, particularly as it is adjustable to -suit all circumstances'wliich may'arise during the course of operation. We also regard as important that the pipes l9--shall be rotatably adjustable so that the openings 22 may be directed downward and forward at a proper angle to prevent the sludge from piling up between the pipes. 1 n It will be seen that with this tank the waterdoes not overflow and leave 'the solid matters behind but by the use of the chute or pan 35 part of the overflow is taken off and sent back to the circulating pump. Itfwill the chute 35 back through the openings in the the lightest material never gets to the deepest part of the tank nor to the refuse chamber.

' This, of course, will give each succeeding pipe less material to work on. The heaviest material of all, such as stone, slate, etc., is discharged downward to the bottom of the tank at the lowest part thereof and passes into the refuse chamber. The coal vor like material which is lighter than the impurities passes upward With the current through the mixture and is carried to the top of the tank and then over the overflows, while the impurities, which are heaviest, sink to thev bottom of the tank in front where there is no agitation.

Bypumping the mixture which is taken from agitation pipes keeps the mixed feed as it passes under the baille 33 agitated and thus keeps the heavy refuse solids from settling in the tank except at the front part, which has no agitation.

The valves 21 are'provided in the agitation pipes for the purpose of testing these pipes or cleaning them out.

hln the actual use of this apparatus, it has been found thata substantial reduction in the cost of operation is effected and that a more complete separation of coal from impurities and a greater reovery is effected than has heretofore beenfoun'd possible; At the same time this separation is secured at a minimum cost and expense and a better separation is effected than with other mechanismsknown to us. It will be understood that the apparatus can be changed in proportions, sizes, etc., so as to wash and separate larger materials and that such a change in the construction is within the scope of the invention without depart- 'ing frnm'the spirit of the appended claims.

1. A separator including a tank adapted to contain liquid and having a discharge opening for relatively heav matter at the forward end of the tank adjacent the bottom thereof and having an opening for the discharge of liquid and relatively light particles of matter sus ended therein adjacent -the top of. the tan at the forward ,end thereof, means forfeeding material mixed with li uid into the end of the tank opposite the disc large, meansQ for forming upwardly and forwardly con- 125 etant-ly flowing currents within the liquid in the tank including a pumpfhavinan intake pipe, andmeans for taking liqui and very `finef particles in suspensionfrom the top of the liquid in. the tank including a skimming 13 chute disposed above the level of the bottom of the second named discharge opening but below the level of the liquid in the tank, said cute discharging into the intake pipe of the pump and the chute being vertically adjust- -able to thereby control the amount of water conducted to the intake pipe and definitely control the amount of very fine particles carried to the pump for recirculation.

' 2. A separator including a tank for containing liquid and having a front wall whose 4upper edge is below the normal level of the cluding a pump, and a chute having a length equal to the length of the front wall and disposed above the upper edge of the front wall but below the surface of the vwater discharg-l ing over the front wall whereby to skim olii' said surfaceA water and the lightest particles of material held in suspension therein, and means for delivering the water and particles as discharged directly' back into the pump, from thence intothe tank to thereby definitely increase the density of the liquid in the tank.

3. In a separator, a tank adapted to con- .tainlliquid, and having a discharge at the forward end of the tank adjacent the top thereof,

means disposed adjacent the bottom of the tank for causing upwardly and forwardly di- .rected constantly flowing lcurrents in the liq- "uid in the tank, and a booster pipe disposed within the-.tank above thesaid means and below the surface of the liquid, the pipe being` perforated uniformly along its length and connected to a source of liquid under pressure,

said booster pipe acting to discharge upwardly flowing jets of water into the bodyof water in the tank to prevent dead areas in the liquid in the tank.

4. In a separator, a tank adapted to contain liquid, and havingv a dischargeat the forward end of thel tank adj acen-t the top thereof, means 'disposed adjacent the bottom of the tank for causing upwardly and forwardly directedconst-antly flowing current in the liquid in the tank, and a pipe disposed within the tank above the bottom thereof and below the surface of the liquid, the pipe being perforated and connected to a source of liquid under pressure, said pipe being formed of a plurality of relatively adjustable sections whereby it may be disposed in various posit-ions within the tank.

5. In a separator, a tank having forward and rear walls and adapted to contain liquid,

the forward wall of the tank being formed to permit the liquid to overflow, the forward wall at its lower end having a refuse discharge opening, perforated pipes disposed at the bottom of the tank, a pump connected thereto, means for discharging material to be separated into the tank, and an adjustable transversely extending perforated valve controlled pipe disposed between the series ofv first named perforated pipes and the surface of the water in the tank and adjustable into a pluralityOv of different positions in the space etween said first named pipes and the surface of the water, said last named pipe being also connected to said pump and receiving water therefrom and acting to assist the first named pipes in forming upwardly and forwardly directed currents.

6. Amethod of separating relativeljf light materials suspended in water with relatively heavy materials, consisting in discharging such materialsl into a tank filled with water, causing the formation of upwardly and forwardly tank, to thereby lift the relatively lighter materials to carry them ofi' from the upper portion of the tank and allow the relatively heavier materials to sink to the bottom thereof and causing an increase in the 'density of the water contained Within the' tank by skimmin off the surface water and the finest particles carried in suspension thereby from the water in the tank and returning such water with an appreciable land definite quantity of the fine particles in suspension therein to the tank, sufficient lto materiallyincrease the density of the water in the tank and increase its specific gravity.

7. A separator-including a tank adapted to contain liquid and having a front wall rformed to provide a discharge opening whosel edge is below the normal level of the liquid vperforated pipes disposed adjacent the bottom of the tank and causing upwardly and forwardly, constantly flowing currents in the liquid in the tank, a pump connected to and forcing water into said pipes, and means at the discharge opening of the tank Ifor separating `the surface water passingv through said discharge opening fromzthe remainder of the l I y,

water passing therethrough andcarrying the surface water so separated and containing an appreciable quantity of .particles in suspen- -sion back to the pump to thereby increase the density of water in the tank.

8. In a separator of the character described, a tank adapted to contain liquid and having a front wall over which ythe liquid discharges and having a bottom wall, meansfor discharging material to be separated and a liquid into the rear end of the tank, and -means for causing upwardly and forwardly directed directed currents in the water in the y currents to'be formed in the liquid in the tank comprising a plurality of pipes disposed adjacent the bottom of the tank, the pipes having perforations extending in a line along one 5 ,portion of the pipe, the pipes being rotatable upon their axes whereby the jets projected from the perforations may be directed upward at any desired angle in a vertical plane or downward at any desired angle and against the bottoni of the tank. 10

In testimonyWheI-eof we hereunto aflix our signatures.

HARRY H. CARL.

HENRY E. MUEHLHOF. 

